Eight months pregnant, and Ethan decided to throw a divorce party for his first love, Chloe. He insisted I personally build a sixteen-tier champagne tower. When the party started, Chloe deliberately knocked over the tower, cutting her finger in the process. "Ethan, where did you hire these workers? They're as stupid as pigs." Ethan shot me a dark look. Chloe smirked. "You know, Ava," she said, turning to me, "now that you mention it, you do kind of resemble a sow." Shaking with anger, I slapped her across the face and demanded an apology. Ethan stood up and shoved me hard. I crumpled to the ground. "Chloe didn't even know you built it! Why the hell are you flying off the handle? "And was she wrong? Calling you a pig? Look at you, stomach as big as a damn beach ball!" Later, on a night pouring rain, he made me kneel on the doorstep to 'reflect on my actions'. Inside, I could hear him laughing with his friends. "That's how you have to train women to make them behave." But this time, I didn't obey him. I stood up, hailed a cab, and went to the hospital to arrange for an induced termination. Eight months? So what? If I didn't want this baby anymore, I wasn't going to have it. 1. The doctor on duty looked at me, then at my paperwork, frowning slightly. "Does your husband consent to this procedure?" "I don't have a husband." He clearly didn't believe me, his eyes scanning me up and down. I realized then that when Ethan threw me out to 'reflect,' I hadn't even grabbed a coat. Who in their right mind would be out on a cold fall night dressed so thinly? The doctor probably thought I'd just had a fight with my husband. Finally, seeing my determination, the doctor nodded. The procedure couldn't be done immediately; it would take three days to schedule. As I was leaving, he tried one more time. "Look, miss, maybe talk things over with your family first? Don't do anything impulsive." I managed a bitter smile. I'd seen this doctor a few times before, but he didn't know Ethan was my partner. Ethan rarely came with me to prenatal appointments. Once, in a rare moment of 'kindness,' he walked out with me, holding my hand. The second he saw someone he knew, he dropped my hand like I was toxic. Like he was ashamed to be seen with me. When the doctor asked who he was, Ethan had just said, "A friend." I took a cab back to the house. The front door was wide open. The party guests were gone, leaving behind a total mess. Ethan sat slumped in the middle of the sofa, his face grim, enveloped in cigarette smoke. "Hah, I was actually considering letting you back in, thinking about the baby and all," he sneered. "But look at you, out having a good time!" So, he did remember I was pregnant. I didn't have the energy to argue. All I wanted was a hot shower. He stood up as I walked past. "Where were you?" I gave a vague answer. "My stomach hurt. Went to the hospital." Ethan's expression softened instantly. He reached out and touched my belly. "Then why didn't you call me to go with you? Look at you, not even wearing a coat..." He seemed about to show some concern, but a woman's voice interrupted him. "Ethan, smell this body wash, doesn't it smell amazing?" Chloe emerged from the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, cleavage on full display. Seeing me, she feigned surprise with a little "Oops!" 2. "Oh, Ava," Chloe said with a coy smile, sidling up next to Ethan. "I thought you had plans tonight, that you wouldn't be back." She leaned into Ethan. "Since Ava's home now, maybe I should leave?" Ethan frowned slightly. "It's late, not safe. Just stay here tonight. Ava won't mind." He often decided for me that I didn't mind. But this time, I genuinely didn't. I mumbled some agreement, which seemed to satisfy Ethan. Then I headed to the bedroom to shower. As I walked in, I saw it immediately – an item of lingerie lying on the bed. White lace against the black sheets. Glaringly obvious. Expressionless, I picked it up and tossed it to Ethan, who had followed me. He froze, then awkwardly handed it to Chloe. He opened his mouth to explain, but I had already shut the bathroom door. After washing up, I lay down, wanting only sleep. But Ethan crawled in beside me, pulling me into his arms. "Ava, I told you, you can rely on me for anything. "Why didn't you knock on my door when your stomach hurt today? Isn't this my baby too?" I ignored him, pretending to rub my eyes sleepily. He grabbed my hand and leaned in to kiss me. The cloying, sweet scent of roses – Chloe's perfume – filled the air. "Forgive me, okay?" Nausea rose in my throat. I shut my eyes tight, feigning deep sleep. Ethan finally released me. In the darkness, the glow of a phone screen flickered on. The mattress dipped beside me, then sprang back up. He was gone. I already knew where. I picked up my own phone. Chloe had just updated her social media. The picture was Ethan cradling her bare feet in his hands, warming them. The caption read: [The heat might be late, but your love never is.] Even late at night, people were awake, flooding the comments. [OMG, kill me with the sweetness!] [You two should just get back together already! It's obvious you both want it.] [Chloe, hold onto a guy like that! Don't let some other woman snatch him.] I was the "some other woman" they were talking about. My parents died in a car accident years ago. I had no one left to depend on. And in the eyes of Ethan's friends, if a woman couldn't help her man succeed, what good was she? I expected Ethan to chime in with agreement. Instead, he replied to that last comment. [Don't talk nonsense. Ava and I are fine.] 3. The next day, I intentionally slept late and didn't make breakfast. Normally, Ethan would have chewed me out. But today, surprisingly, he was in the kitchen cooking himself. Chloe watched him expectantly from the side. Caught, Ethan offered her a bite from his fork. They looked, for a moment, like any ordinary couple. So, he could be proactive and thoughtful, just not for me. It didn't matter anymore. Once the procedure was done, I'd be gone. "Ethan, you're amazing! This is all my favorite food!" Chloe exclaimed. Ethan smiled, a doting look on his face. "I know you love these dishes, so I practiced making them." The food on the table consisted of the few simple, home-style dishes Ethan knew how to cook. When we first got together, he used to cook for me sometimes. But it was always these same things. Once, I casually complained, asking him to try something different. He immediately got irritated. "Just eat what's served. Relationships require compromise." His reasoning convinced me back then. I actually believed him. Looking back now, it wasn't mutual compromise; it was me always being the one to compromise. And now, the sight of those dishes made my stomach churn. Clapping a hand over my mouth, I rushed to the bathroom and threw up violently. When I returned after rinsing my mouth, Chloe put down her bowl, pinching her nose. "Ugh, it stinks." I'd had morning sickness since the early stages, and Ethan was used to it. But Chloe's comment made him frown too. "Why don't you take your bowl and eat in the other room?" he said to me. A wave of desolation washed over me. I decided not to eat at all. The clatter of my bowl as I put it down was a bit loud, and Ethan probably thought I was angry. "Ever since you got pregnant, your temper's gotten worse!" he snapped. He and Chloe finished their meal happily, ignoring me completely. Only after they were done eating did Ethan come into the room where I was. "Come on, let's go out for a bit." My feet ached, my back was sore, and I didn't want to go anywhere. But he practically forced me out the door. "You've been cooped up inside too long, that's why you're getting so petty." 4. Once we were outside, it became clear: Chloe wanted to go out, and I was just tagging along. Like that free piece of hard candy you sometimes get with your change at the grocery store. You didn't ask for it, but you take it anyway, maybe just to toss it out later. I automatically moved to get into the front passenger seat. Ethan saw me and raised an eyebrow. "Sit in the back. Chloe gets carsick." "But it's hard for me to get in and out of the back," I protested weakly. "Alright, stop making a scene. Don't make me drag you out," Ethan said, his patience gone. As I squeezed into the back seat, Chloe slid effortlessly into the front. She pointed to a cartoon sticker on the dashboard and giggled. "I stuck that there last time we were out... why didn't you take it off?" Ethan glanced at me in the rearview mirror. I looked away. "Forgot," he mumbled. Did he really forget, or did he not want to remove it? I'd seen that sticker the last time he'd accompanied me to a prenatal check-up. Ethan usually hated anything he considered 'girly' cluttering up his car. But when I'd reached to peel it off, he'd stopped me immediately. "My buddy's little girl put it there," he'd lied. "The kid said she'd check next time she saw the car. If I take it off, she won't be my friend anymore." So, it wasn't a 'little girl,' it was a 'big girl.' Chloe shot me a look over her shoulder, smugness radiating from her. Throughout the drive, Chloe made thinly veiled jabs about my clothes. Said I dressed frumpy, that I looked like I weighed 400 pounds. I finally snapped back. "Well, I am carrying Ethan's child. Staying warm is kind of important. Unlike some people, wearing a crop top when it's practically winter. Aren't you freezing?" Chloe's face flushed, but she shut up. When we reached our destination, I realized we were at an amusement park. We walked until we were standing directly beneath the giant Ferris wheel. Chloe put on a show of being considerate. "Ava's pregnant, so she can't ride roller coasters. Why don't we all ride the Ferris wheel together!" I looked up at the towering structure that seemed to pierce the clouds. A roaring filled my ears, and cold sweat instantly beaded on my forehead. I couldn't ride it. I have acrophobia – a crippling fear of heights. 5. I refused immediately. Chloe pouted, looking wounded. "Ava, are you still mad at me?" Instinctively, I reached for Ethan's hand. He flinched, surprised by how clammy my palm was. "I... I'm afraid of heights," I stammered. Ethan hesitated. "Maybe Chloe and I can go, and Ava can wait down here?" he suggested. Chloe fixed her gaze on me, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Fears are meant to be overcome, Ethan," she said sweetly. "You don't want to spoil the fun, do you?" Her words solidified Ethan's decision. Trembling all over, I was pushed into the Ferris wheel cabin. As the machine started moving, the ground fell away, and the horrible sensation of dangling in the air gripped me. The only sounds inside the cabin were my own ragged, panicked breaths. Chloe and Ethan sat across from me. Her eyes darted around, then she smiled. "They say distracting yourself helps you forget your fear. Ava, look, what's this?" She held out her hand, and dangling from her fingers was a jade pendant. My hand flew to my collarbone. It was empty. That was my pendant. It was the most precious thing my mother owned before she died. Mom told me that the year I was born, she felt this sudden, inexplicable urge to go to a gem show. Among all the dazzling, polished stones, she was drawn to the most overlooked, roughest-looking one. Against all odds, when it was cut, it revealed the most beautiful, pure jade inside. This pendant was crafted from it. Mom always said the pendant had protected her twice from harm. Before she died, she gave it to me. "Ava," she'd whispered, "it will protect you in my place." For a moment, I forgot my fear, my eyes locked on the pendant. I reached for it, but Chloe snatched her hand away. "That's mine! Give it back!" I cried. Chloe laughed, a malicious glint in her eyes. She extended her arm out of the cabin's small, open window. "See? You were terrified of heights just a second ago, but now you've overcome it, haven't you?" My gaze was fixed on her hand outside the window. I desperately wanted to claw open that window and snatch my pendant back. "Give... it... back... to... me!" I gritted out, my fists clenched. Even Ethan sensed something was wrong. "Chloe, stop messing around," he said sternly. Chloe looked slightly disappointed but nodded. Then, in the next instant, her fingers loosened their grip. 6. I lunged across the cabin, my hands closing around Chloe's throat, squeezing hard. Chloe screamed and struggled violently. The commotion rocked the cabin, making it creak ominously. Her face and neck began to turn purple. Ethan pried my hands off her, trapping me in his arms. I was no match for his strength. All I could do was scream and fight, sinking my teeth into his arm. Pain contorted his face, veins popping on his forehead, but he didn't let go. Chloe rubbed her neck, gasping. "I didn't mean to drop it," she wheezed. Whether she meant it or not didn't matter anymore. All I knew was that I was useless. I couldn't hold onto anything. I couldn't hold onto my man. I couldn't hold onto my child. And now, I couldn't even hold onto the pendant my mother gave me. I knew Chloe wanted to see me cry, but I refused to give her the satisfaction. I clenched my jaw, holding onto a brittle thread of defiance. Ironically, my acrophobia was completely gone. The moment the cabin door opened, I scrambled out and ran as fast as I could to the area below where the pendant might have fallen. The grass there was thick and overgrown, requiring someone to crouch down and search meticulously. With my large belly, crouching was impossible. So, I got down on my hands and knees, almost on the ground. Ethan pulled me up and moved me aside. "Stop looking." I couldn't help but scream at him. "That was my mother's! The last thing she gave me!" He was silent for a moment. "I'll find it for you." He rolled up his sleeves, crouched down, and began searching the grass inch by inch. The lawn was still damp from a recent rain. His pants cuffs were soaked, splattered with mud and grass clippings. I sat nearby, the dampness seeping through my own pants. Chloe sauntered over, looking down at me with amusement. "How does it feel? To lose something precious?" She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a hiss. "You killed my brother. So I'll make you lose what's most important to you!" I didn't look at her. "I feel terrible about your brother, Chloe, but his death wasn't my fault." She opened her mouth to say more, but snapped it shut when she saw Ethan walking back towards us. He was covered in grass stains, sweat beading on his forehead. He had found the pendant. Dropped from that height, it was miraculously unbroken. I traced the familiar carvings with my finger, then carefully put it back around my neck. Suddenly, a piercing scream cut through the air.
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